Photographing buildings

Taking photos of churches and other buildings favoured by tourists is something we've all done but instead of focusing on the popular cathedrals and castles why not look a little closer to home and take a few snaps of the buildings we all sleep, work and spend most of our lives in. You'll be quickly surprised at the results you can get.

Photo by ade_mcfade.

Gear
A compact or DSLR is capable of recording a decent picture of a building. However, most of the time you'll need a wide angle lens so the latter may be a better option unless you have a compact with a good zoom lens. If you don't have one look around for viewpoints further back where you can get the whole building in shot or focus your attention on smaller areas such as windows and door frames. A telephoto lens should also be packed as you can crop in on detail which gives you the chance to capture a popular structure a different way. You can also capture dramatic patterns by filling the frame with windows, brick structures or even roof tiles.

Technique
When using a wide angle you will find that walls of a tall building lean inwards when you shoot from a low angle. A tilt shift lens can correct this but this is an expensive path to take. Instead, climb a nearby hill or shoot from the upstairs window of another building if you can get access or try using a longer lens from a distant viewpoint. Ideally you want to a viewpoint that positions you about halfway up the building any higher and the bottom of the building will start to slope inwards. You can use step ladders if you wish but they're not the lightest thing to carry around town! The exaggerated angles can work well in some shots, particularly if you have a very modern building to photograph. You shouldn't have too many exposure problems unless you're photographing a building which is particularly dark or covered in glass as this will reflect a lot of light. In these cases the camera will compensate making a dark building to light and a light building too dark. To combat this use exposure compensation to set either 1stop or +1 stop as needed. If the sun's behind the building this can fool your camera into thinking the scene's really bright which will leave the building as a silhouette. To bring the building out of the dark simply take a reading from lower down the building then recompose manually or by using the auto exposure lock.

If you're shooting detail look for repetitive and interesting patterns, leading lines and even statues or gargoyles that hang off many church walls. Look for arches and bridges that can provide a natural frame for your building and make the most of water features or if it's raining,  use puddles to get a reflection that can give your shot impact.


You've read the article, now go take some fantastic images. You can then upload the pictures, plus any advice and suggestions you have into the dedicated Photo Month forum for everyone at ePHOTOzine to enjoy.